NumbM-  22 


Price  20  cents 


Reprint  and  Circular  Series 

OP  THE 

National  Research 
Council 

THE  NATIONAL  RESEARCH  COUNCIL 

Its  Services  for  Mining  and  Metallurgy 


By  Alfred  D.  Flinn 

Vice-Chairman,  Division  of  Engineering 
National  Research  Council 


Published  in  Mining  Congress  Journal 
October,  1921,  vol.  7,  no.  10,  pp.  412-414 


Announcement  Concerning  Publications 

of  the 

National  Research  Council 


The  Proceedings  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

has  been  designated  as  the  official  organ  of  the  National  Research 
Council  for  the  publication  of  accounts  of  research,  committee  and 
other  reports,  and  minutes. 

Subscription  rate  for  the  "Proceedings"  is  $5  per  year.  Busi- 
ness address:  Home  Secretary,  National  Academy  of  Sciences, 
Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington,  D.  C. 

The  Bulletin  of  the  National  Research  Council 

presents  contributions  from  the  National  Research  Council,  other 
than  proceedings,  for  which  hitherto  no  appropriate  agencies  of 
publication  have  existed. 

The  "Bulletin"  is  published  at  irregular  intervals.  The  sub- 
scription price,  postpaid,  is  $5  per  volume  of  approximately  500 
pages.  Numbers  of  the  "Bulletin"  are  sold  separately  at  prices 
based  upon  the  cost  of  manufacture. 

The  Reprint  and  Circular  Series  of  the  National  Research 

Council 

renders  available  for  purchase,  at  prices  dependent  upon  the  cost 
of  manufacture,  papers  published  or  printed  by  or  for  the  National 

Research  Council. 

Orders  for  the  "Bulletin"  or  the  "Reprints  and  Circulars"  of 
the  National  Research  Council,  accompanied  by  remittance,  should 
be  addressed:  Publication  Office,  National  Research  Council,  1701 
Massachu.setts  Avenue,  Washington,  D.  C. 


THE  NATIONAL  RESEARCH 
COUNCIL 

Its  Services  for  Mining  and  Metallurgy 

By  Alfred  D.  Flinn 

"Original  research,  however,  is  not  a  science;  it  is  not  a  collec- 
tion of  laws.  It  is  an  art,  because  it  is  composed  of  rules  which  must 
be  followed.  It  is  the  method  of  finding  new  truths  of  nature  by 
study,  observation,  travel,  or  other  means.  The  art  of  research  is 
based  upon  the  laws  and  principles  of  nature,  and  upon  the  relations 
of  the  human  mind  and  sen.ses  to  the  external  world.  Nature  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  human  faculties  on  the  other,  are  the  only  agents 
concerned  in  scientific  research.  Original  discovery  has  its  origin 
usually  in  the  love  of  knowledge  for  its  own  sake,  and  in  a  desire  to 
confer  its  benefits  upon  mankind." — G.  Gore,  LL.D.,  F.  R.  S.,  in 
"The  Art  of  Scientific  Discovery,"  London,  1878.* 

ENGINEERS  AND  BUSINESS  MEN  connected 
with  mining  and  metallurgy  will  please  accept  for 
the  purposes  of  this  article  the  dictum  that  re- 
search in  the  sciences  is  the  continuingly  prolific  origin 
of  progress  in  our  modern  industries.  Many  will  grant 
that  research  for  fundamental  truth,  regardless  of  its 
immediate  application  to  industry,  must  be  carried  for- 
ward with  increasing  zeal,  lest  our  progress  be  stalled. 
This  effort  must  go  forward  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
many  searches  appear  to  produce  no  immediately  utiliz- 
able  results.  In  order  that  ineffective  efforts  and  con- 
sequent losses  may  be  minimized,  it  grows  increasingly 
important  that  research  should  be  done  by  thoroughly 
trained  men.  There  should  also  be  efficient  means  for 
cooperation  and  for  exchange  of  information  among 
men  engaged  in  research,  and  between  them  and  the 
men  devoted  to  the  numerous  branches  of  technology. 
To  aid  in  satisfying  these  needs,  the  National  Research 
Council  exists.  The  Council's  functions  are  to  stimu- 
late, suggest  and  promote  research  in  the  sciences,  to 
assist  research  men,  to  further  the  exchange  of  informa- 
tion, especially  among  groups  working  in  various  scien- 
tific fields,  and  to  establish  liaisons  among  scientists, 
technologists  and  managers  of  industry. 


*  A  copy  of  this  book  was  recently  sent  to  Engineering  Founda- 
tion and  Engineering  Societies  Library  by  Sir  Robert  A.  Hadfield, 
the  recent  recipient  of  the  John  Fritz  Medal  for  the  invention  of 
manganese  steel,  with  the  following  autographed  note  on  the  fly- 
leaf: "This  book  of  Gore's  has  always  possessed  a  fascination  for 
me  and  I  have  been  fortunate  to  obtain  a  copy,  as  it  is  now  quite 
scarce.    I  send  it  with  my  best  wishes. — June  29,  1921." 


Established  in  1916  by  the  cooperation  of  scientific 
and  engineering  societies  and  the  Engineering  Foundation 
with  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  the  National 
Research  Council  performed  many  special  services  dur- 
ing the  World  War,  of  great  value  to  our  country  and 
its  allies.  The  Research  Council  was  organized  un- 
der the  federal  charter  granted  to  the  National  Academy 
of  Sciences  in  1863.  On  May  11,  1918,  the  president 
issued  an  executive  order  which  gave  permanence  to  the 
Council  and  provided  for  the  co-operation  of  the  gov- 
ernmental departments.  The  National  Research  Coun- 
cil, however,  receives  no  pecuniary  support  from  the 
government,  although  during  the  war  the  government 
provided  funds  for  some  of  the  work  which  the  Council 
did  for  the  government. 

Financial  support  for  the  National  Research  Council 
comes  wholly  from  private  funds  provided  by  endowed 
foundations,  scientific  and  technical  societies,  industrial 
organizations,  and  individuals.  In  December,  1919,  the 
Carnegie  Corporation  of  New  York  voted  to  the  Na- 
tional Academy  of  Sciences  for  the  National  Research 
Council  the  sum  of  five  million  dollars  to  become  avail- 
able July  1,  1922.  Of  this  gift  not  to  exceed  one-quarter 
may  be  used  for  a  building,  and  the  remainder  is  to  be 
an  endowment,  the  income  from  which  is  to  be  used  for 
the  current  expenses  of  the  Council.  A  condition  prece- 
dent to  this  gift  was  the  purchase  of  a  suitable  site  for 
the  proposed  building  by  means  of  funds  obtained  from 
other  sources.  This  condition  was  met  by  procuring 
a  large  plot  of  ground  in  Washington  near  the  Lincoln 
Memorial,  bounded  on  all  sides  by  streets.  From  the 
land  purchase  fund,  a  balance  remains  on  investment 
providing  income  for  perpetual  upkeep.  Flans  for  the 
building  have  been  drawn  by  Mr.  Bertram  G.  Goodhue, 
architect,  of  New  York,  and  preparations  for  construc- 
tion are  well  advanced.  This  building  will  be  a  dignified, 
beautiful  and  practical  structure,  appropriate  for  the 
permanent  home  of  the  National  Research  Council  and 
the  National  Academy  of  Sciences.  Pending  the  con- 
struction of  its  new  building.  National  Research  Coun- 
cil occupies  as  its  headquarters  the  building  at  1701 
Massachusetts  Avenue. 

The  scope  of  activities  of  the  National  Research 
council  as  now  organized,  is  the  "promotion  of  research 
in  the  physical  and  biological  sciences  and  the  encour- 
agement of  the  application  and  dissemination  of  scien- 
tific knowledge  for  the  benefit  of  the  nation.  The  Coun- 
cil is   neither   a  large    operating   scientific    laboratory, 


nor  a  repository  of  large  funds  to  be  given  away 
to  scattered  scientific  workers  or  institutions.  It 
is  rather  an  organization,  which  while  clearly  recog- 
nizing the  unique  value  of  individual  work,  hopes 
especially  to  help  bring  together  the  scattered  work  and 
workers  and  to  assist  in  coordinating  scientific  attack 
in  America  on  large  problems,  especially  those  which 
depend  for  successful  solution  on  the  cooperation  of 
several  or  many  workers  and  laboratories,  either  within 
the  realms  of  a  single  science,  or  different  realms,  in 
which  various  parts  of  a  single  problem  may  lie.  It 
particularly  intends  not  to  duplicate  nor  to  interfere  with 
work  already  under  way.  It  hopes  to  help  maintain  the 
morale  of  devoted  isolated  investigators  and  to  stimulate 
renewed  effort  among  groups  willing  but  halted  by  ob- 
stacles. It  will  try  to  encourage  the  interest  of  univer- 
sities and  colleges  in  research  work,  and  the  training  of 
research  workers,  so  that  the  inspiration  and  fitting  of 
American  youth  for  scientific  work  may  never  fall  so  low 
as  to  threaten  to  interrupt  the  constantly  needed  output 
of  well  trained  and  devoted  scientific  talent  in  the  land." 
(Fifth  Annual  Report.) 

For  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  stated,  the  Coun- 
cil is  now  organized  in  six  divisions  of  General  Relations 
and  seven  divisions  of  Science  and  Technology,  under  the 
general  direction  of  an  executive  board.  The  form  of 
organization  is  so  flexible  that  it  may  be  and  is  being 
adapted,  from  time  to  time,  to  meet  the  varying  require- 
ments of  the  societies  and  industries  which  the  Council 
seeks  to  serve. 

Divisions  of  General  Relations 

Chairman 

I     Division  of  Federal  Relations Charles  D.  Walcott 

II     Division  of  Foreign  Relations Robert  A.  Millikan 

III  Division  of  States  Relations John  C.  Merriam 

IV  Division  of  Educational  Relations Vernon  Kellogg 

V     Division  of  Research  Extension Harrison  E.  Howe 

VI     Research  Information  Service Robert  M.  Yerkes 

Divisions  of  Science  and  Technology 

Chairman 

VII     Division  of  Physical  Sciences H.  G.  Gale 

VIII     Division  of  Engineering Comfort  A.  Adams 

IX     Division  of  Chemistry  and  Chemical 

Technology F.  G.  Cottrell 

X     Division  of  Geology  and  Geography E.  B.  Mathews 

XI     Division  of  Medical  Sciences Victor  C.  Vaughan 

XII     Division  of  Biology  and  Agriculture L.  R.  Jones 

XIII     Division  of  Anthropology  and  Psychology. . .  C.  E.  Seashore 

As  now  constituted,  the  chief  purpose  of  the  Council 
is  to  organize  scientific  effort,  to  survey  and  collate,  and 


to  initiate,  promote  and  stimulate  research  in  science  and 
its  useful  applications.  The  membership  ofjthe  Council 
in  its  divisions  consists  of  representatives  officially  de- 
signated by  leading  scientific  and  technical  societies  of 
national  scop?,  representatives  of  the  government, 
representatives  of  other  particular  research  organiza- 
tions, and  members  at  large  chosen  by  the  divisions. 

The  chairman  of  the  executive  board  is  Dr.  John  C. 
Merriam,  who  is  also  president  of  the^Carnegie  Institu- 
tion of  Washington.  The  permanent  secretary  is  Dr. 
Vernon  Kellogg.  Dr.  George  E.  Hale,  director  of  Mt. 
Wilson  Observatory,  was  the  first  chairman  of  the  Coun- 
cil and  is  now  its  honorary  chairman.  The  vice-chair- 
men are  Dr.  Charles  D.  Walcott,  secretary,  Smith- 
sonian Institution  and  president  of  the  National  Academy 
of  Sciences;  Mr.  Gano  Dunn,  president  of  the  J.  G. 
White  Engineering  Corporation,  and  Dr.  R.  A.  MilHkan, 
professor  of  physics,  California  Institute  of  Technology. 
The  treasurer  is  F.  L.  Ransome,  geologist  in  charge, 
section  of  metalliferous  deposits,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey, 
who  is  also  treasurer,  National  Academy  of  Sciences. 
The  executive  board  and  the  divisions  work  through 
committees,  of  which  there  is  a  large  number.  Member- 
ship in  committees  is  not  limited  to  the  members  of  the 
Research  Council. 

National  Research  Council  is  in  effect  an  "overhead" 
or  advisory  organization.  The  limited  funds  at  its 
disposal  are  only  sufficient  for  its  expenses.  Consequent- 
ly funds  for  experimental  research  or  for  the  support  of 
other  projects  organized  or  promoted  by  the  Council 
must  be  provided  by  the  interested  societies,  industrial 
organizations  or  individuals,  or  be  secured  by  special 
solicitation.  The  Council  can  assist  in  soliciting  finan- 
cial support,  but  ordinarily  it  cannot  contribute  from 
its  own  resources. 

Among  the  noteworthy  projects  which  have  been 
financed,  or  for  which  funds  are  being  sought  by  the 
National  Research  Council,  there  may  be  mentioned, 
research  fellowships  in  physics  and  chemistry,  research 
in  the  fatigue  phenomena  of  metals,  tables  of  physical 
and  chemical  constants,  highway  research,  heat  treat- 
ment of  steel.  Alloys  Research  Association,  Personnel 
Research  Federation.  For  the  research  fellowships,  the 
Rockefeller  Foundation  contributed  five  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  to  become  available  in  equal  annual  install- 
ments during  a  period  of  five  years.  The  Engineering 
Foundation  and  the  General  Electric  Company  each 
contributed  thirty  thousand  dollars  for  the  support  of 


the  fatigue  of  metals  research,  and  other  large  gifts  have 
been  made  by  the  General  Education  Board,  the  Com- 
monwealth Fund,  the  American  Telephone  and  Tele- 
graph Company,  the  Southern  Pine  Association,  and  a 
number  of  industrial  corporations,  for  sundry  projects. 

Records  of  the  actions  of  the  National  Research 
Council  are  printed  in  the  "Proceedings"  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences.  Reports  on  researches  and  other 
investigations  are  published  in  the  journals  of  the  inter- 
ested societies  or  in  the  bulletins  of  the  universities 
or  laboratories  conducting  the  work.  The  Council  pub- 
lishes bulletins  at  irregular  intervals,  which  are  assem- 
bled in  volumes  of  approximately  five  hundred  pages, 
and  a  "Reprint  and  Circular  Series"  of  pamphlets,  any 
of  which  may  be  purchased  at  moderate  prices.  Many 
copies  of  these  publications  are  distributed  gratuitously 
for  publicity  and  educational  purposes.  A  list  may  be 
obtained,  by  request,  from  the  publication  office  of  the 
National  Research  Council,  1701  Massachusetts  Avenue, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Supplementing  its  publications.  National  Research 
Council  has  made  use  of  special  exhibits  and  lectures  for 
extending  interest  in  research.  Exhibits  relating  to 
wireless  telephony  and  to  gas  warfare,  besides  being 
shown  for  protracted  periods  at  headquarters  in  Wash- 
ington, were  each  sent  to  other  cities.  Carefully  planned 
publicity  through  technical  and  popular  journals  is  also 
employed  in  the  process  of  "educating  the  public."  A 
department  has  been  maintained  in  the  Scientific  Amer- 
ican Monthly,  in  which  accounts  of  some  of  the  scien- 
tific activities  of  the  Council,  together  with  other  articles 
on  special  phases  of  science,  have  been  published. 

With  the  financial  support  of  Mr.  E.  A.  Scripps,  of 
California,  a  Science  Service  for  dissemination  by  news- 
papers, magazines,  lectures,  motion  pictures  and  con- 
ferences, of  authentic  popular  information  on  science  has 
been  organized  under  the  joint  auspices  of  the  National 
Research  Council,  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
the  Scripps  Estate,  and  a  group  of  professional  journals. 
The  editor  and  secretary  is  Dr.  E.  E.  Slosson,  a  well- 
known  writer  and  scientist,  formerly  associate  editor  of 
the  Independent  (New  York),  and  the  manager  is  Mr. 
Howard  D.  Wheeler,  formerly  managing  editor  of  Har- 
per's Weekly.  The  Science  Service  has  temporary  head- 
quarters in  the  building  of  the  National  Research  Council. 

International  relations  among  scientific  organizations 
have  been  initiated  and  fostered  by  National  Research 


Council.  Growing  partly  out  of  the  war  work  and  partly 
out  of  pre-war  connections,  the  international  associa- 
tions will  be  particularly  helpful  in  those  branches  of 
science  and  technology  requiring  information  gathered 
by  observation  in  many  parts  of  the  world. 

So  broad  are  the  interests  and  so  extended  the  con- 
nections of  mining  and  metallurgical  men,  that  there 
is  not  a  division  of  National  Research  Council  whose 
work  lacks  definite  usefulness  to  them  at  some  time  or 
in  some  phase.  A  perusal  of  the  annual  report  of  the 
Council,  which  can  be  had  on  request,  would  clearly 
show  this  fact.  Of  special  interest,  however,  are  the 
Division  of  Engineering,  Division  of  Research  Extension, 
Research  Information  Service,  Division  of  Chemistry  and 
Chemical  Technology,  and  Division  of  Geology  and 
Geography.  Space  limitation  precludes  even  the  bare 
listing  of  the  subjects  of  importance  to  the  American 
Mining  Congress,  which  have  received  consideration  by 
the  divisions  named.  There  may  be  mentioned,  simply 
by  way  of  example :  fatigue  of  metals,  heat  treatment  of 
carbon  steel,  substitute  deoxidizers,  new  uses  for  selen- 
ium and  tellurium,  physical  changes  in  iron  and  steel 
below  the  thermal  critical  range,  pulverizing,  Neumann 
bands,  hardness  testing,  welding,  molding  sand,  cer- 
amics (especially  relating  to  refractories),  explosives 
investigations,  organization  of  Alloys  Research  Asso- 
ciation, collection  of  information  about  research  labora- 
tories and  scientific  personnel,  establishment  of  a  service 
for  making  sources  of  information  available  to  inquirers 
and  for  answering  questions  directly,  and  various  geo- 
logical problems. 

National  Research  Council  is  closely  affiliated  with  the 
leading  engineering  societies  and  Engineering  Founda- 
tion, especially  through  its  Division  of  Engineering. 
Offices  for  the  latter  have  been  provided  in  Engineering 
Societies  Building  by  Engineering  Foundation,  which 
contributes  also  to  the  financial  support  of  the  Division 
and  some  of  its  research  projects.  Mr.  Charles  F.  Rand, 
chairman  of  Engineering  Foundation,  and  a  member  of 
the  Division  of  Engineering,  is  a  past-president  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  En- 
gineers and  has  long  been  active  in  the  Institute's  work. 
While  in  England  with  the  delegation  of  American 
engineers,  in  June,  he  was  made  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Iron  and  Steel  Institute,  the  Institution  of  Mining 
and  Metallurgy,  and  the  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers. 

Dr.  Henry  M.  Howe,  the  distinguished  iron  and  steel 
metallurgist,  also  a  past-presid'^nt  of  the  American  Insti- 


tute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engineers,  was  the 
first  chairman  and  is  now  the  Honorary  Chairman  of  the 
Division  of  Engineering.  Mr.  Galen  H.  Clevenger,  long 
identified  with  nonferrous  mining  and  metallurgy,  is  a 
vice-chairman  of  the  division.  The  other  vice-chairman, 
also,  is  a  member  of  the  Institute.  Of  this  division's 
thirty-eight  members,  eighteen  are  members  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engineers, 
although  a  number  of  them  officially  represent  other 
societies  on  the  division.  Many  other  minmg  engineers 
and  metallurgists  are  members  of  committees  of  the 
National  Research  Council.  Among  the  engineering 
societies  the  Institute  has  been  prominent  as  an  active 
participant  in  the  work  of  the  Council.  During  the  war, 
many  Institute  members  served  untiringly  on  committees 
of  the  Council  engaged  upon  mining  and  metallurgical 
problems  for  the  Government  and  the  industries.  Five 
members  of  the  Institute  were  among  the  founders  of 
National  Research  Council:  Herbert  Hoover,  Van  H. 
Manning,  Charles  F.  Rand,  Charles  D.  Walcott  and 
Willis  R.  Whitney.  Dr.  Walcott  is  President  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  First  Vice-Chairman 
of  the  National  Research  Council. 

Valuable  as  are  the  specific  scientific  and  technical 
achievements  which  National  Research  Council  already 
has  to  its  credit,  and  the  greater  achievements  of  this 
kind  in  its  future,  none  nor  all  of  them  can  outweigh  the 
great  benefits  to  our  country  and  the  world  growing  from 
the  better  personal  appreciation,  the  higher  mutual 
esteem,  and  the  effective  cooperation  which  National 
Research  Council  is  helping  to  bring  about  among  scien- 
tists, technologists  and  industrialists.  National  Re- 
search Council  exists  to  serve.  Through  service  it 
expects  "to  have  and  to  hold"  the  steady,  sympathetic 
backing  of  mining  and  metallurgical  men. 


